Happy Birthday, Bobby Drake
by freakochicko
Summary: The immaculate Bobby Drake refuses to have a birthday party, remembering all too well what happened the year before. John ruthlessly tries to sway him... with some help. Pre X2. Focuses on the Golden Trio: Johnny, Bobby and Marie.


_**-A/N-:**__ Yeah, we had Rogue's birthday in chapter 4 and Pyro's birthday in chapter 30 of Stranger. So, I thought it'd be only fair if we had the Iceman's birthday somewhere in the series. This one takes place before X2, when the Golden Trio were still… well, a trio. _

_You don't need to have read Stranger to read this._

**Happy Birthday, Bobby Drake**

**Part I**

"I'm gonna' say this once more and _only_ once more, Allerdyce, I don't need a party. The last thing I need is for the cake, and the curtains, to catch on fire, _again_," Bobby Drake grounded out stubbornly, desperately trying to lose his persistent friend by hastening his pace (which didn't really work, seeing as how he nearly walked into an indignant Jubilee in the process).

"Well, that one time was an accident," John shot back, easily keeping up, "Besides, you can't deny that it _was_ kinda' fun."

Bobby rounded on the pyromaniac so abruptly that he almost caused the boy to crash right into him. "_Fun?_" Bobby repeated, expression incredulous. "You got me, and yourself, in two weeks of detention. That's your idea of _fun_?"

"Oh. Yeah. Well, that part wasn't cool," John conceded, tone remorseful for almost a whole second, "But c'mon, man!" he quipped, "Just admit it. You got a kick out of it, didn't you?"

"Yeah, right until Miss Munroe decided to get me to clean up the mess. The one that _you_ made," he added with a hiss. "Let me get this through to you, 'Dyce: I. Am. Not. Having. A. Party."

John rolled his eyes, resisting the huge urge to pout (it would only prompt the Iceman to ignore him for the rest of his life if he did). Fine then. If stupid Drake couldn't be swayed by the hotshot of the twenty-first century, then he'd better watch out for the one person who _could_ change his mind.

John started walking away from Bobby, not even bothering to tell him that he was about to devise some devious plot in getting the Iceboy to have a little party to celebrate his eighteenth birthday.

"Hey, where're you going?" Bobby called, perplexed that his best friend had just turned on his heel and left him standing there alone, when just moments ago he had been tailing him all over the mansion like an annoying fly.

"The tree," John replied nonchalantly over his shoulder. "Don't follow."

Bobby raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother to comment. He had to tend to Chrysler right about now anyways. Chrysler was the mansion's new pet dog. The one that Xavier had brought in out of nowhere for the students of his school to look after. Mondays were Bobby's 'doggie duty' days.

John made his way to 'the tree' at a leisurely pace. Well, actually, he almost sprinted there. Rogue had told him about twenty minutes ago that she'd be under there in case anyone needed to find her.

As the fire manipulating mutant approached the massive, leafy tree that threw flitting shadows across the ground under the pale afternoon sunlight, he saw that Drake's girlfriend was lying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows and reading a book.

The girl looked up as he came closer.

"_Wuthering Heights_?" he questioned as he stopped before her, looking at the paperback novel in her gloved hands. "Ain't that a gothic romance book?"

She gave him a demure smile and nodded, dog-earring the page she had been reading and closing the tome slowly.

"Didn't know you liked reading them," he continued.

She made a face. "It's for Literature class. I was _forced_ to read it."

John titled his head to one side, expression suddenly unreadable.

"It's quite intriguing, actually," she said thoughtfully, looking back down at the novel.

"Oh, I've read it," John replied offhandedly, tone almost casual.

"Good for you. Don't spoil it for me, though." She pulled herself up and motioned for him to sit down beside her. "I assume that Bobby's looking after Chrysler?"

John shrugged and settled down next to the girl. "Think so. I don't quite care, really."

Rogue gave him a reprimanding look that lasted about two seconds. _Don't quite care?_ Weren't they supposed to be best friends?

"So, what brings you here?" she asked finally.

"Your company?" he replied, voice sparkling with humour and mock-hopefulness. "Actually," his fingers unconsciously pulled at a tuft of innocent grass, "I was hoping to get you to help me uh, _persuade_ your boyfriend to throw a small party for his upcoming birthday."

Rogue gave John a look of surprise. "What? He _doesn't _want to have one?"

"You know how he is. The idiot's just being stupid and sorely needs someone to convince him that it's not a bad idea. It's not like his cake's gonna' explode again," John said, "And that wasn't my fault!" he defended quickly when she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I wasn't here for his last birthday," she said truthfully, "so I don't know what actually happened. But from what I've heard from him, his last birthday bash didn't really go so well."

"Wasn't my fault!" John said again. "Honestly!"

"Oh, so half the room caught fire on its own or something?" Rogue questioned, voice reproachful but eyes full of mirth. They both knew who started the fire.

"Okay, okay. It won't happen again. But… dammit, we need a party! Like, a big celebration! Jeez, I can't believe him! Why is he _always_ such a boring stiff?!"

"Don't ask me," Rogue said sarcastically, her voice suddenly icy, "I'm just his girlfriend."

John caught himself at that moment. He had gone too far in verbally insulting her boy. She never liked it when he did. But he couldn't help it whenever it was just the two of them. He didn't know why he did it, but he was always, always, _always_ inclined to do it.

"Right. Sorry," he muttered quickly, not sounding sorry at all. "I just need you to help me. Don't you want Drake to have a good time at his eighteenth too?"

They looked at each other. The seconds ticked by as his question hung in the air.

At last, Marie D'Ancanto let loose a wavering sigh.

John relaxed. That sigh meant yes. He _knew_ it did.

"Okay, I'll help," she said, and John grinned.

"I knew you'd say yes."

She smiled back.

"If you knew, why'd you ask in the first place?"

"Thought it'd be nice to ask."

Rogue laughed a tinkling little laugh.

Things were about to get interesting.

---

End of part one.

_**-A/N-:**__ Yes, so this one's gonna' be a light-hearted fic (if you haven't already guessed). Seeing as how the future parts of the trio's lives are so angsty, I thought that I should write about them in their more happier days._

_**Note:**__ Chrysler is Xavier's dog. Yes, I will make another fic about him in future. A humour fic. LOL._


End file.
